Scary Stories: Six Shows to See on Stage This Autumn
Dark nights, strange tales and things that go bump on stage – theatre takes a turn for the supernatural this autumn.
As the nights draw in, UK theatres are embracing the darker side of storytelling. Haunted houses, malevolent spirits, psychological thrillers and even horror in deep space are all on the bill, with productions ranging from classic ghost stories to spectacular contemporary scares.
If you like your theatre with an edge of unease, here are six shows to discover this autumn.
The Haunting of Hill House
UK Tour | 11 September – 21 November 2026
Shirley Jackson’s hugely influential haunted-house novel arrives on stage in a new adaptation by Olivier and BAFTA winner Stef Smith, directed by Martin Constantine.
A group of investigators arrive at the mysterious Hill House hoping to uncover its secrets, but curiosity soon gives way to fear as strange disturbances begin to take hold. Is the house itself haunted – or is something altogether more complicated happening to the people inside it?
The tour opens at Salisbury Playhouse before visiting Richmond, Mold, Brighton, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Cambridge.
Paranormal Activity
UK & Ireland Tour | From September 2026
The hit stage adaptation inspired by the Paranormal Activity films heads out on its first UK and Ireland tour following its extended London run.
Rather than simply recreating the films, playwright Levi Holloway has created a new story. James and Lou move from Chicago to London hoping to leave their past behind, only to discover that escaping it may not be quite so easy.
Directed by Punchdrunk artistic director Felix Barrett, the production combines live theatre with the creeping tension and sudden shocks associated with the film franchise. Autumn dates include Glasgow, York, Woking and Cheltenham, with the tour continuing around the UK and Ireland.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Phoenix Theatre, London | Until 27 December 2026
Before the world turned upside down, there was another story waiting in Hawkins.
Set in 1959, Stranger Things: The First Shadow takes audiences back to the younger lives of familiar characters including Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby. The arrival of Henry Creel and his family signals that something altogether darker is beginning to stir.
Written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry, the production combines live performance with large-scale illusions, visual effects and ambitious stagecraft.
After more than three years in the West End, the production is now entering its final months at the Phoenix Theatre, with its last London performance scheduled for 27 December.
It Walks Around the House at Night
UK Tour | Autumn 2026
An out-of-work actor accepts what seems like a rather unusual job: playing a ghost at an old country manor.
At first, it’s simply a performance designed to provide visitors with a few scares. But as the nights pass, the boundaries between the actor, his character and whatever might actually inhabit the house begin to disappear.
Written by Tim Foley and presented by ThickSkin, It Walks Around the House at Night mixes ghost story, psychological thriller and dark humour with immersive sound and visual effects. The autumn tour includes a run at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre from 15–17 October.
The Void
UK Tour | 30 September – 7 November 2026
Ghost stories head into deep space in Thunder Road’s sci-fi horror The Void.
Eight million miles from Earth, a mysterious distress call draws space ranger Flint towards the ageing research vessel Odyssey. Its crew has disappeared, its systems are failing – and something appears to be waiting aboard.
The production blends live performance with projections, cinematic multimedia and illusion to create the atmosphere of a sci-fi horror film on stage, while exploring AI, surveillance and human memory.
The 16-venue tour travels from Edge Hill and Warwick to Edinburgh, Lichfield, Ipswich, Birmingham, Colchester, Chester, Sheffield and New Brighton.
The Turn of the Screw
Arcola Theatre, London & UK Tour | Autumn 2026
More than 125 years after it was first published, Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw remains one of literature’s most unsettling ghost stories.
A young governess arrives at a remote country house to care for two children. What initially appears to be an idyllic new life begins to unravel when she becomes convinced that malevolent spirits are threatening the children. But are the ghosts real – or is something else happening?
Olivier Award-winning playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm has created this new stage adaptation, directed by Nicky Allpress. It receives its world premiere at London’s Arcola Theatre from 11 September to 10 October before touring.
Dare to see them?
From the classic gothic chills of The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House to the cinematic scares of Paranormal Activity, Stranger Things and The Void, there is plenty lurking in theatres this autumn.
The only question is: which one will you dare to see?
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